HP and Sepsis: These data are consistent with the clinic findings of Daniel et al[42] concerning sepsis patients, and this positive correlation between high zonulin level and increased intestinal permeability in Caco-2 monolayers further emphasizes the potential for zonulin to serve as a crucial modulator for intestinal permeability in NEC, a disease also involving the major risk factor of inappropriate intestinal bacterial colonization and characterized pathologically by increased intestinal permeability[43].